Remote work certainly has its perks, but for many of us it also has its challenges. In this blog series, we’ll focus on the home office, discussing ways to adapt, and conquer—both as an employer and an employee. This is post nine of the series. You can follow the rest of the series and read our past posts here.

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If you’ve ever worked from home, you know that it can definitely help you get a lot accomplished! While working from home certainly has its benefits, it isn’t also without its fair share of challenges. For many professionals, the comforts of home can be distracting and may ultimately result in a less defined work-life balance and a lack of motivation. While these obstacles can be tough to overcome, being conscious of them early on can help you boost your productivity as you work from home! With this in mind, here are five ways to do this:

Identify your supervisor’s expectations

No matter your location, there is a certain level of work your supervisor expects you to complete during your workweek. As a result, you should consult with them about their expectations as well as which projects take priority. When you aren’t regularly meeting with your supervisor in the office, these check-ins can help keep you on track for meeting your goals. Once you’ve discussed these expectations, write them down and keep them near you as a reminder and motivator.

Stick to a routine

If you’re working from home, it can be very tempting to roll out of your bed and work the entire day in your pajamas. While some of the benefits of working from home are that you don’t have to adhere to strict office dress codes and rush to make your morning commute, forgoing a morning routine can potentially set you up for failure. Before you start the workday, be sure to stick to a routine like taking a shower, getting dressed, and eating breakfast before logging on for the day. 

Set goals

Setting and meeting goals is an important part of a productive day, so start your day by defining some goals to ensure effective time management. Starting the day at 9? Try setting goals to accomplish by noon. Just ate lunch? Make a list of tasks that need to be completed by the end of the day. Setting checkpoints for yourself through the duration of the day is key to staying on track of your deadlines.

Schedule breaks

Peppering scheduled breaks throughout your day not only gives you time to relax, but it can increase productivity as well. That being said, it can be especially hard to get back to work after a short time away from your desk when working from home. To make the most of your time, plan for an appropriate lunch break as well as a short afternoon break and stick to them, no matter how difficult it may feel.

Limit media distractions

When working from home, there may be more access to distracting media such as Facebook and Twitter than if you were in a traditional office. Utilizing programs such as Cold Turkey can temporarily block your access to distracting websites and can help you to avoid the temptation of non-work related websites.

Similarly, minimizing phone distractions can help you be more productive while at home. Though you may not want to turn your phone off entirely, putting your phone on vibrate and/or away from your direct reach can make it less tempting to check your texts or apps. Staying focused is one of the main keys to success when it comes to working from home, so identifying what could be potentially distracting and taking the necessary steps to ensure interruptions are kept to a minimum is one of the best ways to stay productive.